SPOKANE, Wash. — The annual Women's March returned to Spokane on Saturday in support of reproductive and abortion rights alongside hundreds of other planned marches across the country.
The Women’s March in downtown Spokane took place at Riverfront Park as thousands gathered to protest for reproductive rights. The event comes on the heels of a strict Texas law that prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The federal government is trying to stop the measure after the Supreme Court declined to block it.
The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes in a few days, with the future of Roe v. Wade in question as a case in Mississippi moves forward with a hearing scheduled in December.
"Being legal does not mean being accessible and for many people, abortion has already been out of reach and what this means is it's a disaster in a sense it will get away from folks who need it the most," Women's March Executive Director Rachel O'Leary Carmona said.
The Women’s March mission is to create transformative and social change and is a women-led movement providing intersectional education on a diverse range of issues and creating new opportunities for those who want to engage in their local programs.
Carmona said there are more than 650 marches planned in different cities across the country, including smaller cities. The event in D.C. could see up to 10,000 people.
"We're seeing a lot of energy and particularly a lot of energy around in the states which is great because that's where we need to build that momentum," Carmona added.